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7 Steps On How To Begin A Research Paper Easily

❶Write your research paper. Make sure to start right away and begin collecting your resources.

Your intent should be to summarize the extent of your research in one or two paragraphs, without necessarily giving away the ending. Write multiple rough drafts of your opening paragraph. You should complete each one independently of the others and of your paper outline. You shouldn't ignore your paper outline; instead, attempt to write the introduction without directly relying on the outline. This allows your creative juices to flow and provides new insights about developing the paper's body and conclusion.

If you can't write the introduction without looking at source material, you don't grasp your research. Choose the best version of your introduction and revise it.

You should write a final version of your introduction before moving on to the research paper's body. Your introduction should summarize your paper, indicate its importance for future research and describe your research's extent or sources.

A complete introduction will use a literature review that summarizes existing background knowledge to set the stage for the research being conducted, which should then be followed by establishing the scope, context and importance of the research. The introduction for an average research paper is typically several paragraphs in length since it needs to cover a lot of information to properly introduce the topic.

Ask someone to proofread and critique the introduction. Preferably, you should ask the teacher or professor who assigned the paper to read the introduction, making sure it conforms to the assignment's requirements. If it's written correctly, your instructor can ascertain most of the paper's content without reading the entire document. Your instructor can also provide direction for the rest of your paper. Jared Lewis is a professor of history, philosophy and the humanities.

He has taught various courses in these fields since A former licensed financial adviser, he now works as a writer and has published numerous articles on education and business. He holds a bachelor's degree in history, a master's degree in theology and has completed doctoral work in American history.

The database based on Word Net is a lexical database for the English Language. Research Papers University of Southern California: Then, narrow your topic to manageable size:. Childhood diseases Too Broad: Once you have decided on a topic and determined that enough information is available, you are ready to proceed.

At this point, however, if you are having difficulty finding adequate quality information, stop wasting your time; find another topic. First read a general article on your topic, for example from an encyclopedia. If you need to know what publication information is needed for the various types of sources, see a writing guide such as S F Writer. On the index cards or in your notebook, write down information you want to use from each identified source, including page numbers.

Use quotation marks on anything you copy exactly, so you can distinguish later between exact quotes and paraphrasing. You will still attribute information you have quoted or paraphrased. Some students use a particular index card method throughout the process of researching and writing that allows them great flexibility in organizing and re-organizing as well as in keeping track of sources; others color-code or otherwise identify groups of facts. Use any method that works for you in later drafting your paper, but always start with good recordkeeping.

Mind map or outline Based on your preliminary reading, draw up a working mind map or outline. Include any important, interesting, or provocative points, including your own ideas about the topic.

A mind map is less linear and may even include questions you want to find answers to. Use the method that works best for you. The object is simply to group ideas in logically related groups.

You may revise this mind map or outline at any time; it is much easier to reorganize a paper by crossing out or adding sections to a mind map or outline than it is to laboriously start over with the writing itself.

Focus and craftsmanship Write a well defined, focused, three- to five-point thesis statement, but be prepared to revise it later if necessary. Take your time crafting this statement into one or two sentences, for it will control the direction and development of your entire paper.

Facts and examples Now begin your heavy-duty research. Try the internet, electronic databases, reference books, newspaper articles, and books for a balance of sources. For each source, write down on an index card or on a separate page of your notebook the publication information you will need for your works cited MLA or bibliography APA page.

Write important points, details, and examples, always distinguishing between direct quotes and paraphrasing. As you read, remember that an expert opinion is more valid than a general opinion, and for some topics in science and history, for example , more recent research may be more valuable than older research.

Avoid relying too heavily on internet sources, which vary widely in quality and authority and sometimes even disappear before you can complete your paper. Never copy-and-paste from internet sources directly into any actual draft of your paper.

For more information on plagiarism, obtain from the Butte College Student Services office a copy of the college's policy on plagiarism, or attend the Critical Skills Plagiarism Workshop given each semester. Matching mind map and thesis After you have read deeply and gathered plenty of information, expand or revise your working mind map or outline by adding information, explanations, and examples.

Aim for balance in developing each of your main points they should be spelled out in your thesis statement. Return to the library for additional information if it is needed to evenly develop these points, or revise your thesis statement to better reflect what you have learned or the direction your paper seems to have taken. Beginning in the middle Write the body of the paper, starting with the thesis statement and omitting for now the introduction unless you already know exactly how to begin, but few writers do.

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Writing a research paper is a challenge for many high school and college students. One of the biggest hang-ups many students have is getting started. Finding a topic and doing the research may be half the battle, but putting words to paper or starting an introduction often proves to be an intimidating task.

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Five Different Ways to Start an Introduction for a Research Paper If you've ever read a research paper that had you head-bobbing after the first sentence, then .

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Create a research paper outline. Having the previous stage done, start drafting. During this stage try to plan out the main ideas of the work. The research paper outline prevents mistakes that may be made. By and large, it wouldn’t hurt to draw up a plan of the work. Create a thesis. If we are talking a small research project to publish some papers on methods and results, well as it is said above read many conference and journal papers not only to study the methods, approaches, achievements of your field, but also the writing style, how the paper develops from introduction, to problem description, proposed method, results, conclusion.

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May 14, · How to Write a Research Introduction. The introduction to a research paper can be the most challenging part of the paper to write. The length of the introduction will vary depending on the type of research paper you are writing. An 78%(). Make sure to start right away and begin collecting your resources. Several weeks may seem like plenty of time to complete a research paper, but time can slip away leaving you with a week (or less) to finish.